Everyone LOVES to decorate with plants these days! And with good reason – they look great, are a cheap (usually) & easy upgrade to any space, & make us feel great. What do you think are the best places to buy plants?
Right now it seems like buying beautiful houseplants online is all the rage. Not for me. And not just because I’m a non-conformist. Read on below for my favorite best places to buy plants.
Here’s Why I Never Buy Plants Online (And Where I Get Mine Instead).
First of all… I’m skeptical. And scared.
For me, buying plants is like buying produce. Unless I know I’m gonna get the best picks, I need to see it, feel it, smell it, inspect it for myself before I plop even $5 on the table!
I know I know… “you never know until you try” – that’s how I know to order certain groceries from HEB or Kroger instead of Amazon. But this is one I just haven’t gotten past yet.
What if I order a pothos and it comes all smushed up in a plastic pot? Or a snake plant with leaves snapped in half? Or God forbid one of those hecka expensive fiddle leaf figs that’s already diseased?!
No. Thank You.
And then there’s this… Where did it come from & is it well suited for MY environment?
I hear you saying “but Nik it’s a houseplant so you don’t have to worry about hardiness zones”.
Fact.
But if said plant was mass grown in a greenhouse in Cali, please believe it’s going to have a hard time “acclimating” to my living room in Houston, TX. I’m pretty sure that greenhouse got amazing light & the temperature & humidity was very carefully controlled for those plant babies.
Most rooms in our home get pretty good light BUT it’s dappled & sometimes bright depending on the time of day. Others get TONS of light – so much that it could be too much. One or two get little to no light.
AND it gets super hot & humid here – so both are carefully controlled for humans! And the plants just have to get used to it!
Some plants can make it because they are super easy growers that aren’t too picky. But why take the chance when I am already notorious for loving my plant babies to death?!
Shop Local
Even if you don’t live in Houston, my advice is the same. Shop local. It’s an easy way to keep things eco-friendly & sustainable in both your plant choices (native is always best) & in the supply chain.
Shopping local (usually) has the added bonus of being less expensive (a 4″ pothos on Amazon is $13+; at IKEA & Lowe’s it’s $4). Plus how do you return an online plant easily (if they even do that)?
